Partners
by camcalli
Summary: Detective Ray Vecchio is about to get another partner. Can he handle it? This is the introduction of Det. Keelin Jameson who was featured in my other fic The Broom Closet?


Disclaimer: Doesn't belong to me, make no profit, yada yada yada, blah blah blah….

Setting: First Season, after the boys have been together for awhile. This is the introduction of Ray V's new partner who was featured in my other fanfic The Broom Closet?

Detective Ray Vecchio entered the detectives bullpen, whistling softly to himself. It was a gorgeous spring day, he had just cleared up a really irritating case, and he had tickets to the Cubs game this weekend. It was going to be a good day. He took off his suit coat and hung it carefully over the back of his chair before sitting down. Behind him he heard the Lieutenant's door open and then Welsh's voice.

"Vecchio, I need to see you."

"Yes, sir, Lieutentant." Ray stood up and followed the older man into the office, shutting the door behind him.

"What's this about, sir?"

Welsh sat down behind his desk with a slight smile on his face and slid a file folder towards Vecchio.

Ray picked it up and read the first page. "Detective Keelin Jameson? What's this?"

"Congratulations, Vecchio. It's a partner." Welsh leaned back in his chair, waiting for the expected protests.

"A partner?" Ray's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "I already have a partner."

"No you don't."

"But, sir. Fraser-"

Welsh sighed. "Detective, although Constable Fraser is a fine officer and has rendered this precinct considerable assistance, he is not, I repeat not, a member of the Chicago Police Department. Therefore, you do not have a partner." He indicated the file Ray held. "Detective Jameson has just transferred to this precinct to replace Det. Harvey who has chosen to retire. The Powers That Be have decided the Detective requires a partner and have chosen you." He held up his hand to stave off Ray's words. "I already know all the objections you're going to make, and frankly, I don't care. Jameson is your new partner. Get used to it. Dismissed."

Still reeling in shock, Ray left the Lieutenant's office and sat back down at his desk, speechless.

It was several minutes later that Fraser found him still sitting there.

"Ray? Are you alright? You look rather upset."

Ray looked up to see the Mountie staring at him with concern.

"No, Benny. I'm not alright."

"Oh dear. Did something happen?" Fraser sat his Stetson down on Ray's desk and eased one hip onto it.

"Yes, something happened. They stuck me with a partner!" Ray got up to pace. "A partner. I don't need a partner. I do just fine on my own. What do they think, I need a baby sitter?" He turned and shook his finger in Fraser's face. "Mark my words, Benny, this is revenge for that thing with the Mayor. He said there were no hard feelings about his car, but I knew he was lying. They're getting me back for it."

Fraser picked up the file folder on Ray's desk and read it quickly. "Ray, I'm not certain why you're so upset. Det. Jameson sounds like a fine police officer."

"Jameson. Keelin Jameson. What the hell kind of name is 'Keelin' anyway?" Ray demanded.

Fraser looked thoughtful. "Actually, Ray, I believe it's Irish. Or Celtic really. It means slender and fair."

"Slender and fair? What the hell does that mean? Where do you come up with this stuff, Benny? Geez." Ray continued to pace and mutter to himself while Fraser watched compassionately. On the floor, Diefenbaker whoofed to himself. Fraser looked down at him. "Perhaps you're right, Dief. I believe that would make Ray feel better." He turned back to the Italian detective. "Ray, Dief and I are going out to get lunch, would you like something?"

"Yeah, whatever." Ray waved a hand in dismissal to the Mountie while he paced. Finally, he had calmed enough to sit back down at his desk. Ok, so what was the big deal? A partner? He'd had partners before. He'd learn to get along. The big issue was how this new Jameson guy was going to handle Fraser. After all, as the Lieutenant had said, Fraser wasn't officially a part of the Chicago PD. But, as far as Ray was concerned, Fraser was his partner, and this new guy was just going to have to deal with it. Ray could play nice for the few weeks it would take this guy to get fed up and request a new partner. A smile spread across Ray's face as he decided this. After all, Fraser drove him up the wall on a regular basis and he'd been dealing with him for months now. There was no way this Jameson guy would be able to tolerate him. Feeling better now that he'd settled things in his own mind, Ray turned to get some of the mountains of paperwork down that his job generated. He wished Fraser would hurry up and get back, he typed better. Ray snorted to himself in amusement. Maybe this new guy could type….

"Detective Vecchio?" A smoky voice asked.

"Yoooo-wow!" Ray's casual greeting rose in pitch as he glanced to the side and focused on a pair of slim jean covered legs and then rose past a narrow waist, flat stomach, a truly fine pair of breasts and then finally focused on the incredibly beautiful face staring back at him. Dark green eyes, the color of the best emeralds, were set off by creamy white skin and deep red hair. High cheekbones, a slightly pointed chin and lush lips just added to the package.

Those incredible eyes set in long black lashes narrowed. "You are Ray Vecchio?"

"Uh, yes, yes I am." Ray stammered, not entirely certain of anything at this point, including his name, as all the blood in his brain seemed to have drained to his lap.

The vision in front of him stuck out a hand. A slender, elegant hand, Ray couldn't help noticing.

"Keelin Jameson. I'm your new partner."

"My new-? No! Oh no. You can't be!" Her words registered in Ray's mind several long seconds later. He'd been certain this was some wonderful daydream. His marriage proposal, the planned honeymoon and the names of the 2.5 children he had already conjured up in his mind, fizzled like a wet balloon.

Keelin's eyebrows rose. "Is there some problem, Vecchio?"

Ray stood up, noticing as he did so, that she was tall. Not too many inches shorter than himself. He also noticed that she smelled really, really good. He shook that off. "You can't be my partner. You're a woman!"

"Thank you for noticing. Apparently you _are _a detective."

Ray ignored the sarcasm. "Look, obviously there's been some kind of mistake. I can't work with you."

"What's the problem, Vecchio? I've read your file. You've had a female partner before."

Ray started pacing again. "That was different. She was-she wasn't-she didn't look-" He broke off in frustration trying to get the right words out without offending her.

Keelin raised her eyebrow again at his stammering. "Okay, Vecchio, apparently you're suffering from some kind of mental-" She gestured at his frantic pacing, "_thing_. I'm going to go get some of my stuff while you try to get a hold of yourself. Then maybe we can try this again." She turned and started walking out of the squadroom.

Ray's eyes immediately started to drop to her butt, then caught himself "Augh! No, partner. Partner, not female. Can't look. Don't look…" Against his will his eyes dropped and he whistled appreciatively. "Damn."

Fraser came in the door, closely followed by the wolf and headed to Ray's desk. "Here, Ray. We got sandwiches."

"Yeah, whatever."

Fraser sighed. "Oh, Ray. I had hoped you would have come to terms with this while we were gone."

Ray dropped into his chair in frustration. "I did. I had. Then I actually met my new partner"

"And?"

"She's a girl, Fraser. A woman!"

The Mountie sat down on the edge of Ray's desk. "Well, yes, Ray. I know."

"You know?" Ray exploded. "How do you know? And why didn't you tell me?"

Fraser lifted both eyebrows in surprise. "I'm sorry, Ray. I assumed you knew that. After all, it was in her file."

Ray waved that off. "I didn't read the damn file."

Fraser looked disapproving. "Ray, that's hardly-"

The American cut him off. "Nevermind. I can't work with her."

"Why? I would hardly think you'd have an issue working with a woman. You certainly have no problem working with Elaine."

"That's different. She's not my partner. I don't have to work closely with her."

Fraser still looked unconvinced. "But, Ray, didn't you tell me you had a female partner?"

"That's still different. She wasn't-" He broke off again in frustration. "Jameson's-She's, well she's hot!"

The Mountie nodded. "Ah."

Ray turned to look at him. "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

"No, Ray, not really."

"Keelin Jameson is beautiful, lovely, gorgeous….hot." Ray burst out.

"So, you're attracted to her?" Fraser asked, finally understanding.

"Yes, and I can't work with a partner that I'm attracted to. It would be too weird."  
"Well, Ray. I think that it's just a question of mind over matter. If you can just convince yourself that you're not attracted to her, then-"

Ray interrupted the Mountie as the squadroom door opened and Keelin walked in. "That's her."

Fraser glanced over casually, and then looked again, his eyes opening wider. There was an audible gulp as he swallowed, and a slight flush crept over his cheeks. It was several long moments before he was able to look away.

"I believe I see what you mean, Ray."

"Thank you. Let's go see the Lieutenant."

"Vecchio, I thought we'd already had this conversation." Welsh sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"Yes, sir. We did. But the situation has changed. I've met Det. Jameson and am unable to work with her."

"This had better not be because she's a woman. Cause the legal department will be all over you screaming discrimination."

"No, sir. That's not the problem. It's not because she's a woman. It's because of the type of woman she is." Ray explained.

Welsh looked weary. "Care to explain that?"

"Sir, have you seen Det. Jameson?"

"No, Detective. I haven't. I've seen her file and I believe that's enough. She seems to be a fine cop."

"I've not doubt she is, Sir. She's also a very attractive cop." Ray stated.

Welsh looked surprise. "Attractive?"

"Beautiful, sir. Incredibly beautiful." Ray elaborated. "She made the Mountie just about swallow his tongue."

"Ray, I certainly did not-" Fraser broke off, looking thoughtful. "Actually, I believe I probably did."

Welsh smiled. "She must certainly be something, if even Fraser noticed. However, that is entirely outside beside the issue. I don't care what she looks like, she's your new partner."

Ray threw up his hands in frustration. "But, sir. I can't work with someone I'm attracted to. How am I supposed to watch my partner's ass, if I'm literally watching my partner's ass?"

"I'm sorry, Vecchio. Really. But you don't have a choice. These orders come from above me. You're just going to have to work on it. Dismissed, gentlemen." He called out as the two men were leaving his office. "And may I suggest you start by keeping your eyes off Det. Jameson's ass?" Welsh was chuckling to himself as the door closed. He couldn't wait to get a glimpse of Jameson. Imagine, even the Mountie taking notice of a woman…..

Keelin was tired and frustrated. She had hauled all of her stuff into her new desk, always conscious of the constant stares and whisperings. It was always hard being the new kid. And Vecchio's obstinacy wasn't helping. Then there was the other problem. The one that was really knotting tension into her shoulders. She had read Vecchio's file and was aware that he generally worked closely with the Mountie. She didn't have a problem with this. Although Constable Fraser wasn't officially attached to the 27th precinct, he and Vecchio obviously worked well together and got the job done. She didn't want to interfere with that, she just wanted to be a part of it. But nothing in the file had mentioned that Fraser looked like this….She'd walked into the door when she saw him standing by Vecchio's desk.

"Hard not to stare, isn't it?"

"Excuse me?" Keelin said, glancing over at the speaker.

A young woman with lovely caramel colored skin and long black curls, was standing next to her desk, smiling at her.

"I said, it's hard not to stare at him. Fraser."

"The Mountie? I have to admit, that red uniform certainly catches the eye." Keelin said, hoping she wasn't blushing.

The other woman gave her a knowing wink. "Yeah, the uniform catches the eye. And the body underneath it certainly doesn't hurt. "

Keelin smiled back at the good humor in the other woman's voice and held out her hand. "Keelin."

"Elaine, civilian aide here. You;re Vecchio's new partner, right?"

"Uh huh." Keelin went back to unpacking her files. "Or at least, I'm supposed to be. Vecchio seems to have a problem with it."

Elaine snorted. "I bet."

Keelin sat down in her desk chair and glanced towards the office where Vecchio and Fraser were visible. "What's with him anyway? I mean, he's had a female partner before, and I've talked to her. She says Vecchio's a nice guy and a good partner. So why the problem with me?"

"At a guess? He's attracted to you and it's blowing his mind that you're his partner and are therefore off limits." Elaine sat down on the edge of Keelin's desk. "Remember, we're dealing with men here. They have tiny little minds and complex issues confuse them. Vecchio can't deal with sexy and partner in the same sentence, so he does the typical male thing: instead of dealing with his feelings, he avoids them by removing the situation."

Keelin laughed. "Ah, how could I have been so stupid. I made the mistake of assuming I was dealing with a mature individual. I forgot, he's a man." She tapped one fingernail against her bottom lip thoughtfully. "Well, I'll just have to address this issue like a man."

Elaine stood up. "You're going to avoid the issue too?"

"Nope, I'm taking Vecchio out for a beer."

"Sounds good." The civilian aide glanced over her shoulder as the Lieutenant's office door opened. "What about Fraser?"

"He can come too."

Elaine smiled evilly. "How you going to talk to Vecchio while you're drooling over Fraser?" She waved and walked away.

Keelin puffed out a sigh as she watched the Mountie cross the room with a smooth stride. "Good point." She stood up. "Think like a man, Keelin." She muttered as Vecchio sat down in the desk across from her, with the Mountie behind him.

He avoided her eyes and concentrated on a file sitting in front of him.

She took a deep breath and held her hand out to the Mountie. "Hi, I'm Keelin Jameson."

Blue eyes looked into hers for a moment, then a large hand grasped her hand carefully. "Constable Benton Fraser, Royal Canadian Mounted Police."

Heat flooded through Keelin at the touch of his skin on hers, but she fought down any reaction. "A pleasure to meet you, Constable." He has amazing eyes, and lips….She thought as they locked eyes.

"You two going to let go anytime soon?" Vecchio asked sarcastically as the two continued to stare at each other, still holding hands.

They both let go, blushing. Keelin jumped suddenly as something cold and wet touched her hand and she looked down to see a large, white wolf standing next his desk.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. That's just Diefenbaker. My wolf." Fraser explained hurriedly, still flushed. "Dief, that's rude."

"No, not at all. May I?" Keelin held out her hand to the wolf. Dief sniffed it thoroughly then licked it several times before allowing her to pet his head.

Keelin stroked the soft fur and struggled to get her heart beat under control. What was the matter with her? She'd never had this kind of reaction to a man before. Not even if he did look like some kind of Mountie poster boy.

Keelin continued to rub the wolf's ears as she glanced across the desks at Ray. "Shift's almost over, Vecchio. Are you interested in going to get a beer and talk about this issue that we seem to have?"

Vecchio frowned. "You asking me out?"

"No!" Keelin said, exasperated. "I am asking a fellow cop if he wants to go get a beer. That's all."

"What about the Mountie?"

"The constable is welcome to come to. I'll buy."

"He doesn't drink beer."

"Then I'll buy him an iced tea or whatever the hell he wants. The wolf too." There was aggravation in the smoky voice. "I just think we should try to talk about this. If you try and decide you can't handle me as your partner, then fine. I'll talk to Lieutenant Welsh and do my best to get reassigned."

Vecchio considered her offer. She seemed sincere. What the hell. "Alright, I could use a beer. Come on." He stood up and grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair. "Come on, Benny."

A short walk later, the three of them sat down in a dark booth in a nearby bar. There was a moment of confusion while the two men hesitated over which one of them would sit with her, or if they would sit together.

"Oh for Christ's sake." Keelin slid into the booth and sat her jacket down next to her, forcing the two men to sit down together on the other side.

A waiter came over to take their order, casting an amused glance at the two men shoved together. Ray glared at Keelin. "See, this is just what I mean. I don't know how to treat you."

"Why can't you just treat me like you do any other cop?"

"You're not any other cop. You're an incredibly attractive cop."

"What about Fraser?" Keelin asked.

Ray looked confused. "What about Fraser?"

"He's an incredibly attractive man, but you don't seem to have any problem dealing with him." Keelin could have cursed herself as she heard her own words.

Fraser flushed, and tried to avoid eye contact.

Ray looked at her in disbelief. "That is entirely different."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not attracted to him!" Ray stated loudly.

The other patrons of the bar looked over and snickered. Ray blushed. The waiter who had just set down their drinks, cast a swift glance at the men, then beat a hasty retreat.

Fraser cleared his throat. "I think the problem is that Ray finds you incredibly attractive and is unable to relate to you on any other level other than as a sexual object."

Ray turned the glare on the Mountie. "Thanks, Benny for clearing that up."

Keelin thought about it for a moment. "Can't you not be attracted to me?"

Ray shook his head in disbelief. "Have you looked in the mirror?

Keelin scowled. "I'm aware of what I look like, Vecchio. But there is more to me than just looks." She bit her lip in thought. "What if I could make myself unattractive to you?"

"How?"

"What if I told you I'm a lesbian?"

Both men choked on their drinks. Steamy images raced through Ray's mind.

"No," he said hoarsely. " That does not help."

"Why not?" Keelin asked. "If I'm a lesbian than I'm not attracted to men, and therefore you know you have know chance with me. Subconsciously you should cease to look at me as a sexual object."

"Keelin, most guys find the idea of two women together incredibly hot. Believe me, finding out you're a lesbian is _not _a turn off." Ray looked at her.

"Oh." She shrugged. "I was lying anyway."

Fraser sighed in relief.

She thought about it again for a moment. "Can't you just pretend I'm not a woman?"

Both Fraser and Vecchio answered in unison. "No."

"What if I told you I snored?"

Ray thought about it. "Still doesn't help. Now I'm picturing you in bed."

"Oh for Christ's sake! Can't you think about anything besides sex?"

"I'm a guy. Medical studies have proven guys think about sex every 4 seconds." Ray answered. He glanced over a Fraser. "Except the Mountie here. But then, he's Canadian, so he's an exception."

Fraser didn't even bother to respond, he just took another sip of his iced tea and considered the problem. "You know, Ray, Keelin. I think we're going about this the wrong way."

"What do you mean, Benny?"

"It's pointless for Ray to try to pretend you're not an attractive woman. You are. He just needs to get past that. Which, I think he's already done."

"How's that?" Ray asked.

"Well, for the last few minutes you haven't been having any problem talking to Keelin. You've even been discussing sex and have been relating to each other with little difficulty. I believe the dynamic of your relationship may end up being based on the differences in gender and how they relate to each other. In fact-"

"Okay, geez, Benny. Enough. I see where you're going with this." Ray looked over at Keelin. "I may still have impure thoughts about you. Can you handle it?"

She smiled. "I think so. I doubt I'll have impure thoughts about you. Can you handle it?"

"It's a blow to my ego, but I think so."

Ray held up his beer bottle. "Partners?"

Keelin tapped her bottle against his. "Partners."

Fraser stood up and slid out of the booth. "Good. I'm going to go get Dief some water now that that's settled."

Keelin watched him as he made his way gracefully through the tables to the bar.

"Hey, Vecchio. About those impure thoughts…."

"Oh, geez!"


End file.
